Christ Jesus' prayers were the most authoritative and effective the world has ever known. He prayed constantly and confidently. He turned to his Father, God, for comfort, inspiration, and help, and proved undeniably that, as the Bible says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."Ps. 46:1;
Today, prayer is likewise effective if it is equally sincere, deeply spiritual, and scientific. When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, the Master outlined the method in eight brief sentences that together are known as the Lord's Prayer. Accounts in the book of Acts indicate that they used prayer successfully in meeting the problems of their time. Now, centuries later, the Lord's Prayer is still effective in overcoming human problems when it is thoroughly understood in its divine meaning and applied with wholehearted conviction.
The method of prayer given by the Master is essentially spiritual. When he outlined it in words, he warned the disciples not to assume that mere repetition of them would suffice to ensure communion with God. He said, "After this manner therefore pray ye,"Matt. 6:9; indicating that the thoughts behind the words are what are important. The words must be understood and their meaning wholeheartedly recognized as truth here and now. The purpose of this prayer is to establish the consciousness that perfect spiritual being is present despite the contrary evidence of physical sense.
